Of Gold and Silver
by BushyHairedandGinger
Summary: Rose Weasley could have never imagined a life where she fell in love with Scorpius Malfoy. This is the story of the day they met and the day they knew they had changed for the better. Multi-chap. Slow burn. Follows Rose and the next generation after the epilogue at the end of Deathly Hallows until past her Hogwarts years.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** I am kind of rusty in the fanfiction writing world, so this may start off a bit rocky. But I am welcome to constructive criticism! I just want to say thanks in advance to anyone who reads this story, it's going to take a while and updates may be a bit wonky but I will get to them! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, it is the lovely work of the lovely mind of J.K. Rowling. :)

* * *

 _September 2017_

The Hogwarts Express started off slowly, and Rose Weasley waved excitedly to her parents and Hugo, her heart sinking as they continued to shrink smaller and smaller, until they were merely dots on the disappearing platform. She tried to push the thought that she had never been away from home without her family to the back of her mind; Hogwarts was something she had been looking forward to her entire life. What with the stories her parents and Uncle Harry had told her, there was no way she was going to miss out on one of the best years of her life because she was scared.

 _Maybe that just shows you're not a Gryffindor_ , said a small voice in her head. Well, maybe it did, but she certainly would be fine with any of the other houses. After all, her mother had reminded her time and time again, over her father's loud protests, that her house didn't define her. She sank back in her seat, looking around the empty compartment.

As the countryside zoomed past the window, Rose curled her knees closer to her, pulling out her battered copy of _Hogwarts, A New History_. Certainly rereading stories about her family's accomplishments was going to put her mind at ease. Though, it had not been a full minute since she had started reading when the compartment door opened, and her older cousin slid in, followed by his younger brother. "Ah, there's our favorite cousin."

"James," she greeted. "Albus."

They both sat across from her in the compartment, and only now did she realize that Albus was looking very frightened. She set down her book, "Oh, Albus, what's wrong? Has someone said something to you?"

James shook his head. "Looks as if he's seen a dementor, doesn't he?" he smirked. "He's just scared about what House he'll be put in."

"That's nothing to worry about!" said Rose, relieved that his troubles were only minor. "You'll be in the house you're meant to be."

"Easy for you to say!" cried Albus. "You've got it all sorted! You know you'll end up in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. I'm not brave enough for me to be certain I'll be put in Gryffindor."

"You are brave!" Rose assured him. "And it's not based on one quality, it's what the hat sees fit. But you have a choice as well. My mum... she was nearly a Hatstall. The Sorting Hat couldn't decide between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, so he let her decide."

"Everyone keeps saying that!"

"Because it's true!" said James exasperatedly. "If you don't want Slytherin, then don't let the Hat choose it."

Albus opened his mouth to argue but decided against it, opting to look out the window instead. Rose could not think of any means of offering any condolence, as she now had renewed fears of being placed in a house other than Gryffindor. Gone were her mother's comforting words, and she heard Albus's worries echoing in her head. Her anxious thoughts and their momentary silence was interrupted as the compartment door opened again, and Scorpius Malfoy peered in.

His eyes glanced over the three of them quickly and widened. "Oh— S-sorry," he said. "I t-thought this was empty." And slammed the door rather loudly.

"Oi, what's his deal?" James's eyebrows were raised. "I mean I know Albus isn't a sight for sore eyes and all but..."

This won a laugh out of Albus and the rest of the train ride carried on blissfully. They joked about learning charms that would anger their parents and making Albus join the Holyhead Harpies and convincing Lily and Hugo that Hogwarts would be closing after this year to be transformed into a massive petting zoo for the Giant Squid. When the trolley witch came by, they all bought loads of sweets and ate until they felt ill and James and Albus argued over who got the better Chocolate Frog card of their father. When they went to change into their robes, Rose resolved to stow away her book, as the dark sky outside would not allow her to make out any of the words. She made to step out of the compartment, and gasped, as she almost set her foot on the body of a small, black-haired girl.

"Goodness! Are you all right?" Rose bent over to observe the girl, who was abnormally still.

She jumped as the girl's eyes flew open, a smile spreading across her face. "I am quite all right! You're Rose Weasley!" she said excitedly. "I'm Andie Corner."

"Right," she said, still reeling at the girl who moments ago she had presumed to be dead. "How did you know that?"

"Well, who doesn't?" said Andie, standing up. "I mean, you're the daughter of two of the most famous people in wizarding history!"

"There's plenty of people like that," said Rose. "What were you doing on the floor?"

Andie tilted her head sideways, causing her short hair to bounce slightly. "I was thinking."

About what, Rose wasn't sure, but she did not question it. She felt an explanation would only confuse her further. "Have you been lying out here the entire ride?"

"No, only just five minutes ago." Andie's azure eyes grew larger as she looked over Rose's shoulder. "James Potter! And Albus!"

James grinned. "I always love meeting fans." He outstretched his hand and Andie shook, not his hand, but her entire body. She squeaked out her name and let out a sigh.

Albus gave her a small smile. "Nice to meet you, Andie," he said, then turned to look at Rose. "Train should be stopping any moment. We'll be at Hogwarts soon."

And soon enough, it did stop. As the chatter of friends meeting each other again and first years asking each other questions filled the station, Rose spotted a familiar tall figure amongst the crowd yelling for the first years to follow him.

"Hagrid!" she shouted, bumping into the other students as she rushed to get closer to their dear family friend.

"Rosie!" he said fondly, his voice booming. "Yer getting bigger an' bigger every time I see yeh. How're yer mum an' dad doing?"

"As good as anyone can be," she said, unknowingly leading the bustle of first years after him. Andie skipped to the front, tagging along at her side and looking at Hagrid curiously.

"Great!" he said, finally taking them around the bend to—

"HOGWARTS!" screamed a fat, pasty ginger haired boy that wasn't a Weasley. At least, not one she knew of.

The castle in question _was_ in front of them, but it was across a black lake, decked with boats at the dock. They all hopped into them and set off across the lake, behind Hagrid's boat, and marveled at the beauty of their new home. The sky glittered with stars and the towers of the castle were growing bigger and bigger as they approached it. Andie and Albus and her other cousin, Roxanne, were all in Rose's boat, murmuring to each other. Not too far away, Scorpius Malfoy was in a boat of his own, along with three other boys who lounged in the back, not looking nearly as impressed as he was.

Rose stared at him, wondering what was so bad about him that her father had felt the need to warn against. Surely, she knew his family's history, but in the glimpses she had caught of Scorpius he had not done anything that would make her want to avoid him. His gray eyes pulled away from the scenery to meet hers, and his face turned a shade of scarlet, but he did not avert his gaze. She offered him a small smile.

"Rosie," said Albus, drawing her attention away from Scorpius. "I think I saw something move!" He pointed, but it was just the ripple of the water as the boat moved across it. When Rose glanced up, Scorpius was not looking at her anymore.

The inside of the castle was nothing short of extravagant, and no edition of Hogwarts history books could have fully captured the beauty of it. Professor Vector led them to the Entrance Hall and said a few words of welcome, then told them they would be sorted soon, setting off another round of talking amongst the students. The Great Hall doors opened and the second through seventh years all looked at them from their tables, watching the awestruck eleven-year-olds walk through the room.

At the staff table, Headmistress McGonagall sat in the center and gave a tight smile as she observed the first years. Professor Vector waited by a stool, with the Sorting Hat placed on top of it. The hat cleared its throat— _did it have a throat?_ — and began to sing proudly.

When it finished, the hall was filled with applause and Professor Vector read the first name out loud curtly. "Alderton, Mary!"

Cheers erupted from the Hufflepuff table upon the announcement of her house and Rose looked around the room; it would be a while until she was sorted. Albus rocked back and forth on his heels as other students took a seat on the stool. She tried to focus on anything other than the fact that his nervousness came off like a bad scent that engulfed her too.

"Corner, Andrea!"

The hat turned this way and that on Andie's head, and she trembled underneath it. "Hmm... positive, very positive. You'd be a great Hufflepuff, you know. But I think you'd make an even finer GRYFFINDOR!"

James shouted something to Andie over the welcoming screams from the Gryffindor table and she took a seat next to him, completely frozen much like she had been on the train. Rose decided she liked her, and if they were going to be dormmates, she would not be too bad at all. _Dormmates? Thinking ahead, aren't you?_ She waved off the thought and turned her attention back to the others.

"Overheard some of the older kids talking earlier," Albus whispered. "Apparently, McGonagall's got a big announcement to make tonight."

Rose scowled. "About what?"

He shook his head. "I dunno. I think they heard Uncle Neville say something about it."

Her head snapped up to the staff table, she had forgotten about him. Neville Longbottom sat towards the end, in between Professor Flitwick and Professor Sinistra. He caught her eye and waved, giving her a wide smile.

"Malfoy, Scorpius!" said Professor Vector, and the blond boy climbed up to the stool and disappeared underneath the Sorting Hat.

"There's a name I haven't heard in a while," said the Hat. "Malfoy, Malfoy, Malfoy. You belong in SLYTHERIN!"

Scorpius hopped off the stool and went to join the roaring Slytherins. He brushed against Rose and when she whirled to look at him, he flashed her an apologetic look.

"That boy _is_ strange," said Albus.

After a few minutes, he was called, and he mounted the steps to the sound of the Gryffindor table chanting his surname. It seemed James was leading the cheer. But the hat had not even touched his hair when it shouted, "RAVENCLAW!" And the hall went dead silent.

Rose found her mouth was hanging open after a few moments, and looked around to see all of the students were staring as Albus walked stiffly to the Ravenclaw table, complete silence surrounding them.

There was a clatter as a goblet was knocked over and James stood and shouted, "THAT'S MY BROTHER!" prompting the entire hall to burst into deafening applause. Albus visibly relaxed and when he was clapped on the back by Ravenclaw prefects and people reached out to shake his hand, he let out a shaky laugh.

Roxanne scooted closer to Rose and linked arms with her. "Ready, Rosie?" she asked, slightly trembling.

Rose nodded and kept her eyes fixed on the ground until she heard: "Weasley, Rose!"

The stool was hard as sat on it and the Hat covered her vision, it danced on her head before it let out a low laugh.

"The Weasleys just keep coming, don't they?" the Hat said. "Don't worry, you're easily a GRYFFINDOR!"

She let out a sigh of relief and skipped towards the Gryffindor table, where she could now see her cousins Fred, Victoire, and Molly were. She sat on the other side of Andie and was surprised to feel the girl wrap her arms around her. And soon after, Roxanne joined Dominique at the Slytherin table and after a greeting from Headmistress McGonagall, the feast began.

Molly's Prefect badge gleamed as she leaned over to congratulate Rose. "You'll be a fantastic Prefect once I'm gone!"

"And what if she doesn't want to be?" asked James, chewing on a turkey leg. "What if she's a troublemaker like me?"

"I'll be both," said Rose gleefully.

Molly's eyes widened in terror. "You can't be both!"

Rose glanced at the Ravenclaw table, ignoring James and Molly's bickering. Albus seemed to be making friends already. Some of the second years were now serenading him as he threw his head back in laughter. Lucy Weasley sat nearby, shaking her head at their antics while scooping pudding into her mouth. A weight lifted off her shoulders, there was nothing to worry about anymore.

Once everyone had eaten, the tables cleared and McGonagall rose again to speak. She gave warnings on what parts of the castle were off limits, including the Room of Requirement. Her speech included a few messages from Mr. Filch and that Ministry officials would come around certain times of the year to transport artifacts from the school to the Ministry.

"And, lastly, it is with a heavy heart that I inform you," she sighed. "This will be my final year as Headmistress."

Muttering and gasps exploded in the hall.

"Now we _really_ have to tell Lily and Hugo that Hogwarts is over," James whispered.

Rose's heart sunk, if there was anyone in the world she admired more than her parents, it was Minerva McGonagall. With her leaving Hogwarts, she was afraid of the prospect of a new headmaster. McGonagall had been a close family friend, a sense of comfort among the unfamiliarity surrounding her. Her next years at Hogwarts were going to be much bleaker.

"I am afraid my best years have come to pass, and pushing my luck is not the best choice for me. I am grateful, however, for each and every one of you," said McGonagall. "Hogwarts has welcomed me when I've needed it the most, both when I was a student and now. So, I'd like to say one last thing before I bid you goodnight: thank you."


	2. Chapter 2

_December 2017_

Fall passed quickly, with a whirlwind of activity. September had gone smoothly; the transition to classes was easy for Rose since she had cracked open her course books long before the school year had started. She effortlessly drifted to the top of the class, immediately falling in love with Charms and Potions. Making friends wasn't too difficult either. More often than not, Andie and her found themselves talking until the wee hours of the morning in the Common Room, until a bleary-eyed prefect came to tell them off.

Halloween was a grand affair. James had managed to convince their Uncle George to send out a Stormtrooper costume, and he paraded to every class willfully and obnoxiously singing the Star Wars theme wherever he went. Though, at the feast, he decided the helmet was too heavy and distracted him from the task at hand, so he charmed the helmet to fly over the Slytherin table, bumping the heads of the students, until Professor Vector snapped at him.

Albus sometimes would join them at the Gryffindor table, and November came and went without him ever leaving. Quidditch season had begun and they went to support Molly, Fred, and James as they won a 230 to 200 victory over Slytherin. Their captain, Brendan Davies, shouted an excuse that their best Keeper got a nasty virus on a Hogsmeade trip, but was drowned out by the sound of Fred and James leading a dance in the Hufflepuff section.

It was December now, about an hour until they were due to depart for winter holidays. Rose pulled her trunk behind her, making her way to the Entrance Hall, where they were supposed to meet to go to the train. On her way, she spotted Scorpius Malfoy, in a dark green jumper, bent over one of his schoolbooks on the floor in a hallway.

"You're not leaving Hogwarts?" she asked, noticing the absence of any baggage. He looked up at her and closed his book, shaking his head.

"Well, why not?" she said indignantly. "Don't you want to be with your family for Christmas?"

"My books are keeping me company," he said, patting the stack of books on the other side. "I think you of all people could understand that."

"Charms?" she asked, reading the title of the thick volume in his lap. "Why are you studying that?"

"I've got to make up an assignment for Professor Flitwick that I missed. I was ill, you see."

"Caught it from the Slytherin Keeper?" she smiled, and the corner of his lips slowly turned upward.

"Yeah, something of that sort," he said.

"That's rotten."

Scorpius shifted uncomfortably. "My parents are on holiday in Spain. To answer your question from earlier," he said. "I reckon they would've invited me if they wanted the company."

Rose bristled. It never occurred to her that families could be separated willingly at holidays. Christmas and New Year were the best time of the year, the time you were _supposed_ to spend with your family. It was illogical that Malfoy's family were on vacation without him, but then again, his family wasn't exactly the warm, welcoming type.

"Can't you stay with other relatives? Like your grandparents?" she asked.

He stood and she noticed he was the same height as her. "Sure, I could. But my mum's parents are in Spain too and I think my dad's parents won't be as festive as Hogwarts is." He pointed at the wreaths hung haphazardly across the hall. "I don't think going home is the best option for me."

"That's stupid!" she cried, immediately regretting it as soon as she saw his expression. "No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

He held up a hand to stop her. "It's fine. We can't all have large families like yours. You're always surrounded by them," he said. His words stung.

"That's not true."

" _Rosie!"_

Molly came down the steps, two at a time, her trunk charmed to float behind her. "There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere. You know grandmum won't be happy if we miss the train. Where have—Malfoy," she said, stopping short at the sight of him.

Scorpius shrunk under her gaze. "I've got to go to the owlery. I have some letters to send," he said quietly, not meeting Molly's glare. "Happy Christmas, Weasleys."

Rose wanted to stop him, to apologize, but he was already up the stairs to the next landing. Molly didn't question her behavior but instead rushed them to the train, where her cousins were split into three compartments.

"What took you two so long?" asked Fred, popping his head out of a compartment. The others followed suit.

"Yeah, Rose where were you?"

Molly had a big mouth. "I caught her talking to the Malfoy boy."

Eight pairs of eyes focused on her. James and Albus wore similar surprised looks.

"It was nothing like that!" Rose said defensively. Didn't they have anything better to worry about other than what she could possibly be doing with Malfoy?

"You were getting close with _Malfoy_?" Dominique cried. "Honestly, Rosie, you've only just started Hogwarts. I'm sure there's other fish in the sea."

"Oh, bugger off! She's just being nice, that's all," Roxanne said, coming to her rescue. "Besides, Malfoy is nothing like his family. He's actually pretty decent."

"Decent? Don't let granddad hear you praising him," said Victoire coldly, but she moved off the subject.

Rose mouthed her a quick "thank you" and Roxanne nodded, following the others back into the compartments.

Luckily, she managed to avoid any further interrogations for the duration of the train ride by falling asleep against the frost-covered window, her bushy, red hair scratching her face.

Christmas at the Burrow was always a splendid affair. Rose's grandmother, mother, aunts (except for Angelina), and Uncle Charlie were in charge of preparing meals for the day before and the day of. Her dad, George, and Harry were responsible for decorating the entire house, from the several thousand stockings on the fireplace mantel to the garlands with charmed Father Christmas figurines. It all turned out great, even with her grandfather sneaking in Muggle trinkets to decorate the large tree in the drawing room, and kept everyone in a festive mood.

Though Christmas was when the Burrow reached its breaking point. Literally. With the overwhelming amount of Weasleys typically in attendance, Bill and his father had expanded the house a few years back, but it seemed every year they needed more space, though their numbers hadn't grown in a while. Harry always invited Teddy and his grandmother for the event, though she'd heard this year they had declined, and sometimes Neville Longbottom or the Scamanders would drop by, so there was not always a guarantee that everyone would get a seat.

It was Christmas Eve now. Rose lounged on the couch, under her Uncle Percy's arm, as he rocked her back and forth while he chorused Muggle Christmas songs with Harry, George, and Ron. She had the sneaking suspicion that he'd tipped back one drink too many, for he reeked of firewhiskey. Hugo laid on his stomach on the hardwood floor, playing chess with James. He cried out as James's queen gave his rook a rather nasty beating. Lily played tag with Dominique and Albus, squealing and running in and out of the drawing room. The others were no doubt creating a mess in the kitchen or in their respective rooms.

"For Merlin's sake, Hugo, move your bishop to E5!" said Angelina from her spot on the floor next to the boys, stroking a purring Crookshanks in her lap.

"Oi!" said Ron, pausing from the music. "Don't talk to my son like that!"

"Ah, it feels like Christmas already!" George exclaimed gleefully, throwing an arm around his brother before he leaped on top of him.

"Geroff!"

"Rosie, how often is it you see two grown men behaving like a pair of grindylows?" asked Percy.

She smiled as Ron and George moved their struggle to the floor. "Usually? Not that much." The pair knocked the hot chocolate on the coffee table onto Harry's Weasley sweater and he swore loudly. "In this family? Very often."

"All right! Are you two wizards or what? If you want a proper fight, hex him. Otherwise, mum says dinner's ready," said Ginny, appearing at the doorway and shaking her head at her brothers.

Somehow, and Rose swore she would get this spell from her grandmother one day, they had managed to set a table for all of them. Every year, this feat amazed her, and every year she swore she was purposely stuck in between James and Fred. The table was decked with food; there was turkey, stuffing, sausages, roasted potatoes, boiled carrots, mashed turnip, parsnips, bread stuffing, and cranberry sauce. A few drinks were put out and the table had twenty-six plates with utensils.

"Twenty-six?" asked Bill, worriedly. "Why twenty-six? Mum, you're not..."

"No, of course not!" said Grandmum.

Rose had been told that after the Battle of Hogwarts, her grandmother used to set the table for all the kids, including the late Fred Weasley. It was hard for her to finally come to terms with her son's death, and whenever she acted as if Fred were still around, they were afraid she had reverted to her devastated state once more.

"Then who's coming?" asked Lily, sneaking a drink of her pumpkin juice.

There was a creak as the door opened. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm late!" came a familiar voice.

Teddy walked into the dining room, coat and all, his bright pink hair hidden under a hat. His boots squeaked as he took the last seat between Harry and Hermione, beaming at everyone. Everyone cheered and welcomed him except for Victoire, who shrunk in her chair, her eyes fixed on her plate of food.

"I've left everyone's gifts in the drawing room. And I also brought a bottle of Ogden's finest," he said breathlessly, trying to catch Victoire's eye.

"You always know how to start a proper Christmas party, big brother," said James. Teddy winked as Ginny shot her son a look.

Granddad smiled. "We appreciate that you could join us tonight, Teddy. And we hope you can stay past midnight to open presents with us."

"I think I can manage," Teddy said, spooning cranberry sauce onto his plate.

Dinner continued on a good note, with everyone retelling stories of the things they'd done at Hogwarts. James and Albus purposely censored parts of their story they knew would anger their mother, but shared a look with their father that most likely meant they would say the full story to him later on. As dessert was served, Rose expressed her love for her classes and favorite assignments, to the enjoyment of her mother and Percy. But George looked as if he were a minute away from falling asleep in his pudding. She listened as Molly ranted about prefect duties and Teddy agreed, though it didn't look as if he was focused much on her. Hugo was begging for seconds of the treacle tart when Victoire rose from her chair.

"May I be excused?" she asked, not waiting for an answer before she turned on her heel and left. Teddy looked down at his hands solemnly.

Charlie cleared his throat. "Why couldn't Andromeda come?" he said, trying to break the tension.

"I reckon her Celestina Warbeck fan club got tickets to see her live one last time," Teddy laughed weakly. "Or something of that sort."

"She couldn't have spared me a ticket?" Grandmum asked, waving her wand to pick up the dishes.

Ron frowned. "But Mum, who would have made Christmas Eve dinner?"

"Perhaps you could if you got off your arse every once and a while."

"George!" Granddad exclaimed over the laughs of the younger Weasleys.

Harry, Angelina, Fleur, and Teddy helped grandmum clean up the rest, as the others went back to gather around the Christmas tree. Hugo picked up his chess game again, this time against Lily, as James cheered her on. Granddad tinkered with the wireless, until a twenty-four hour Christmas station came blaring into the room. Even Victoire was wedged in a tiny corner of the room, her eyes bloodshot and looking more disheveled than she had in her life.

"What's happened, Victoire?" Rosie whispered, sitting on the chair closest to her.

Dominique immediately joined them, nearly sitting herself on Rose's lap. "She's sulking 'cause she's been fighting with her _boyfriend_ ," she said loudly, drawing the attention of some of the family.

"Shut up," snapped Victoire, not meeting their eyes.

Dominique continued, "Mhm, tell her how you went on a lovely date with Teddy and it was all ruined because you were being childish."

"I wasn't being childish!" yelled Victoire, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. "I was justified— I wanted to prove something to myself."

Dominique raised an eyebrow. "How's that working out for you?"

"Quite fine, actually! We are not on speaking terms until further notice."

By this point, Hugo, Lily, and James had long abandoned the chess game. Rose leaned closer to her. "I understand if you don't want to say what happened but it can't have been that bad, what Teddy did."

"You don't know anything that happened. Stay out of it," Victoire said dangerously.

Rose nodded slowly. "I know but it can't be _that_ serious. You two have never fought this much before."

This seemed to hit a nerve. " _Oh?"_ Victoire cried. "I don't know what's serious or not in _my_ life? What makes you the relationship expert? All of a sudden you're getting friendly with Malfoy and you think you're some all-knowing Seer."

Ron tensed. " _What?"_

Molly sunk into the couch as if she willed herself to disappear. Heat crept up Rose's face as she turned to face her father, and was surprised to see the rest of her older relatives were looking at her with similar expressions of shock.

"Rose," he said firmly. "What is she talking about?"

Hermione shook her head. "Not here, Ron."

Victoire seemed to immediately regret letting it slip and looked at Rose as if she were sorry. Ginny shook her head, not at Rose, but at Ron, warning him to leave her alone.

"What is she talking about?" he repeated.

"It was nothing," said Rose nervously. "I just talked to him, that's all."

Ron stood up quickly. "A word. Please."

"It's Christmas. Lay off, Ron. I'll open the bottle Teddy brought and we'll forget all about it," said George.

But Ron nodded his head toward the door and she reluctantly followed him up to the next landing. She trembled, afraid of what her father would say, and was surprised to hear him sigh. "I just want you to keep a few things in mind when you're choosing who you're friends with." Footsteps echoed and Hermione appeared at the top of the steps tentatively.

"You know the type of family he comes from, right?" Ron began. "Well, might I remind you they're the same people who harassed your granddad at work for several years. The same family that gave your Aunt Ginny a diary full of dark magic that possessed her for most of her first year. His father constantly disrespected your mother. In fact, their manor is the place where your mother was nearly—" he gulped, and looked away from her.

Rose looked at her feet, pressure building in her throat.

Hermione put a gentle hand on her arm. "Rosie, you're allowed to be friends with whoever you want. We both trust your judgement. Your father is just concerned for you, we both are, but he doesn't want you to forget where Malfoy comes from. He doesn't want you to get hurt. Please understand that."

Ron trembled, his brows knit. "I couldn't save your mum from everything but if anything were to happen to you and I knew I could've stopped it before it happened..."

"We're on better terms with the Malfoys now," Hermione assured her. "But just be careful. That's all we ask."

"I'm s-sorry," she stammered, tears spilling over. "I swear all I did was talk to him."

"And I believe you. You can keep talking to him." Hermione enveloped her in her arms and Rose buried her face in her mother's chest. With a little prodding from Hermione, Ron finally spoke again.

"I'm sure Scorpius is a fine boy. Just make sure you pay attention in Defense Against the Dark Arts, all right?"

"Ron!"

"What? I'm serious!" He sighed and outstretched his arms. "I love you, Rosie."

She hopped into them quickly. "I love you too."

Downstairs, everyone chose to disregard the incident and was back to enjoying their merriment. The family members in the kitchen had soon gathered in drawing room with them and together they chattered and sung and laughed until they all felt as if they were losing their voices. Midnight approached and Harry volunteered to play Father Christmas, giving every single person one present to open from the stack that nearly caused the tree to topple over. The Weasleys had formed a new tradition in recent years; they would all open one present after midnight and wish each other a Happy Christmas before going to bed.

"One minute!" Lily cried, shaking the box her father had handed her.

Rose looked down at her own present, a badly wrapped lump addressed from Andie to her. James carried a small gift from her parents in his hand, looking at it in confusion.

"Five... four... three... two... one!"

The sound of ripping paper and tossing boxes filled the air. The younger children squealed as they opened their presents. Rose gasped at hers, a bouquet of charmed chocolate and caramel roses from Honeydukes. She snatched it out of the way as Hugo put his Fanged Frisbee down to take a bit of her candy.

"Er— Aunt Hermione? Uncle Ron?" James called, holding up what appeared to be a bright pink coin purse. "I think you've given me Lily's present."

"No, we haven't," said Ron flatly.

James looked bewildered, flipping the purse in his hands until he opened it and looked inside. His head snapped up. "NO WAY!" He reached inside, the undetectable extension charm allowing him to go elbow-deep into the purse.

"That's brilliant!" Fred cried, pulling on his oversized Weasley sweater.

James had extracted a brand new, shiny Firebolt Supreme and looked as if he were near tears. "They said this was exclusively for Quidditch players!"

"You can pull a few strings when you're in the Magical Law Department," said Hermione.

"Why do we have to wait 'til morning?" Albus whined, leaning over to look under the Christmas tree. "I want to see what I got from them now."

Teddy scowled. "What? You don't like the nut collection I got you?"

"As much as I love nuts..." Albus started, causing the others to burst into laughs.

Snow was falling lightly outside, creating a blanket of white over the garden. The Burrow was the only place in sight, no other houses were nearby other than the long abandoned Lovegood home and the village of Ottery St. Catchpole a few minutes away.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for reading! Review, review, review!


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** I'd love to see some reviews on this chapter! Scorpius will definitely be making more of an appearance from now on.

* * *

 _March 2018_

"Shrivelfig can be used in potions such as...?"

"Calming Draught?" Albus ventured.

"No! We've been over this," Rose shook her head. "Elixir to Induce Euphoria and Shrinking Solution."

"I knew that, I was just testing you," said Albus. "Merlin, Rosie, we've been studying for hours and final exams aren't for weeks. Can't we take a break?"

It was a beautiful spring day at Hogwarts, every single bird on the grounds seemed to be chirping and the grass was shining greener than ever before, looking as if it were not real. Several students lounged in the area by the Great Lake, studying, talking, or even playing a game of gobstones. Albus and Rose had taken shelter beneath the large beech tree, not too far away from Roxanne, who prodded passing insects with a stick.

"Albus is right. We've practically memorized the entire textbook," she said.

Rose pushed _One Thousand and One Magical Herbs and Fungi_ off her lap, sighing at her cousins. "You can never be too prepared."

"Yes, you can," the other two said, together.

A laugh echoed from their left and they spotted a small group of Slytherins, Malfoy and the three boys from his boat, gathered together and talking. The tallest of the four, Christian Zabini, was looking directly at them, a look of disgust on his face.

"What d'ya think is wrong with him?" Albus asked, turning to the girls.

Roxanne waved her hand, "Don't worry about him, Albus. Zabini and his friends never mean any good. I dunno why Scorpius still hangs around them, though. He's nothing like them."

Another bout of laughter came from that direction, and this time Rose could see Scorpius had an upset expression on his face, though the rest of his friends sneered at them.

"Yeah, all right," said Albus, eyeing them warily.

"Back to the books," said Rose, unsettled. "What is a quick method of helping someone who has been poisoned?"

Roxanne and Albus groaned, berating her for asking another question. Ignoring them, she flipped through the text, searching for another question to ask, until she heard the crunch of the grass as someone approached them.

"Why, if it isn't the Weasleys!" said Zabini, as if he had not been watching them moments ago. The other two had tagged along behind him, but Scorpius stayed sitting where he was.

Roxanne fixed him a glare, still laying on her stomach. "What do you want?"

"Nothing," he shrugged. "Pucey and Bole said we should come by to say hello. Though, I can see you're a bit busy studying." His friends snickered as he kicked the top book off of Rose's pile and it hit her.

Albus picked up the book and got on his feet, frowning at Zabini. "Don't you have anything better to do than be an obnoxious git?"

"Frankly," said Zabini, stepping up to Albus until they were nearly touching. "No."

Albus put the book back on the pile. "I reckon you have loads of free time to do that since you've got nothing else going on for you."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, school's a bit pointless for you, isn't it?" Albus smiled. "With your rubbish spellwork, you can't possibly study enough to get better."

"Think you're better than me?" Zabini spoke, arms akimbo. "If your father's any good at his job, I won't need Defense Against the Dark Arts, will I?"

Albus narrowed his eyes.

"Surely if your spellwork is so good, then you wouldn't mind a duel?" Zabini suggested, taking out his wand.

Rose looked at her cousin, finally finding her voice. "Albus don't."

"I won't. Don't want to waste my time," he spat.

"Lacking confidence, are you?" said Zabini.

"Pathetic," Pucey growled.

Bole nodded. "Weak."

"If you want a duel so badly, then I suggest you take it up with the duelling club," said Albus. "I'm sure they've got some toy wands you can practice with." They stared at each other for a moment until Albus finally stepped back and made to sit by Rose again. Zabini shook his head and chuckled.

"What a coward," he muttered under his breath.

Albus shot up towards Zabini. "You can call me anything but I'm not a coward."

"'Course you are. You flaunt around because you think you're all high and mighty because of your father but you're just all talk," said Zabini. "You couldn't even get sorted into Gryffindor."

"You don't know anything about me," Albus clenched his teeth.

"Think you can get by because of your dad's name?"

Pucey and Bole laughed.

"I know you can't show your face 'cause of yours. How is your dad now? Heard he's been admitted to St. Mungo's."

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Zabini slammed Albus against the tree, his wand jabbed under Albus's chin.

"Stop!" Rose and Roxanne shouted simultaneously. Pucey and Bole blocked their path.

"You think you're better than me because you're Harry Potter's son?" he growled. "No one appreciates Sympathizers, you'd think your family of all people could understand why."

"Let him go, Zabini!" Rose pleaded. "I'll go to Professor McGonagall!"

"Don't ever talk about my father!" Zabini spat.

"Why? Are you embarrassed he was too much of a coward to pick a side?" Albus breathed. "Didn't he get caught running away by one of the Death—"

Zabini tossed his wand and his fist met Albus's nose, causing him to fall over. The Slytherin boy lunged again, throwing one blow after another as Albus squirmed beneath him, swinging his arms. Rose and Roxanne screamed, restrained by Pucey and Bole. Students rushed to watch, though they were too afraid and surprised to come to Albus's aid.

"You. Stupid. Piece. Of. Shit." Zabini punctuated his words with a punch.

Someone jumped on Zabini's back, knocking him off of Albus and onto the ground. The students gasped.

Albus groaned, his face covered in blood. Rose and Roxanne rushed to his side as Pucey and Bole ran to help Zabini.

"Malfoy! Get off!" Zabini wriggled against the blond boy's restraint.

Scorpius held him firmly, and soon they could hear Professor Vector's voice yelling at the students.

"Out of my way! Move! I suggest you all return into the castle or I'll assign more detentions than I need to!" she said, appearing between the students. "Malfoy, get off of him!"

Scorpius obliged and stepped away. Zabini was sporting a swollen lip and his eye was half shut, but he didn't look nearly as bad as Albus.

"Now will somebody explain what has happened here?" she asked. "Weasleys?"

Rose croaked, "Albus was attacked." Roxanne nodded, stroking Albus's hair out of his face.

"Not without reason!" Zabini shot.

Professor Vector scrutinized the seven of them and nodded curtly. "Pucey, Bole come with me. Weasleys I want you to escort Potter to the hospital wing immediately and come directly to my office afterward. Malfoy, I want you to take Zabini and do the same." She turned on her heel and took the two boys with her.

Twenty minutes later, Rose, Scorpius, and Roxanne sat across from Professor Vector nervously waiting for her to speak. Pucey and Bole stood in a corner of the office, looking as confused as ever.

"Now, I've notified Potter's parents of the incident, as well as Zabini's mother. I expect they will be on their way shortly, so I won't ask you three to explain the situation twice." Professor Vector dipped her quill in ink and scribbled furiously on a sheet of parchment.

Scorpius was tapping his feet on the ground, his face scrunched up in thought. Rose was curious as to why he had saved Albus. She had not said a single word to him since returning from break and he had not seemed to notice, so she did not think of him to care about what happened to any of the Weasleys. It was certainly a surprise to see that Malfoy was receiving detention for preventing her cousin from being beaten unconscious, without an argument. Maybe he was just trying to save his friend Zabini from getting in any more trouble than he was.

The door of Professor Vector's office swung open and Professor McGonagall came in followed by Harry, Ginny, and Cressida Zabini. Harry and Ginny immediately threw their arms around Roxanne and Rose, greeting them warmly. But Ginny immediately regained her composure and demanded that they needed to tell her the full story immediately.

Rose and Roxanne retold the story from their point of view and Scorpius turned pink at the mention of his heroic intervention, staying silent the entire time. Pucey and Bole shouted a completely different story, until Professor McGonagall escorted them back to their dormitories.

Mrs. Zabini stuck out her nose. She was a thin and tall woman with sunken dark eyes and full lips. "I am sorry about my son's behavior, I assure you we don't condone this in my household. Has he received proper punishment?" she asked.

Professor Vector nodded. "All seven students have received detention. For either participating in the incident or not reporting it."

"I assume the Potter boy has received the most? My son's actions were self-defense."

"Self-defense? Albus didn't lay a finger on him!" Ginny cried.

Mrs. Zabini looked at her with a similar look of disgust as her son. "He didn't need to. He provoked my son by bringing up a sensitive topic. If anything, your son had it coming."

Harry put a hand on Ginny's shoulder, holding her back. "I am truly sorry about what Albus said and we offer our condolences to your family," he told her, though his words didn't seem genuine.

* * *

"He was only a second from breaking his nose!"

"He _did_ break his nose!"

"Just like his namesake. He's going to grow an excellent beard soon!"

"Shut it, James!"

When Albus woke up from his nap, he found his cousins and his parents sitting around his bed in the hospital wing. They all gave him a wide-eyed look as he sat up. When he opened his mouth to speak, he choked; the medicine Madam Patil had given him tasted like metal.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" Fred laughed. James, who was next to him, shook his head, amused.

Ginny flung to the front of the group, throwing her arms around Albus. "Why would you do this?" she said sharply, pulling away from him. "You could have gotten seriously hurt!"

"I'm sorry, Mum. I wasn't thinking," he croaked.

"Obviously!" she exclaimed. "You've got to pick your battles, Albus, how many times have I told you this? You're getting just as bad as James."

"Oi!" said James. "Dad thinks I'm an angel." Harry feigned a look of annoyance at his son.

"It was worth it," said Albus.

Ginny cupped his face in her hands, "You're feeling better now, though, right? Your nose is healing?" She moved his head from side to side, checking for injuries.

"I'm fine, Mum, honestly." He looked at the others for help. James and Fred sat at the foot of his bed and Rose and Roxanne were on another, all four looking as if they found this far too funny to stop it. Dominique and Lucy were cross-legged on the floor as their sisters stood behind them, eager to leave now that they knew he was all right. His father walked up next to his mother.

"Gin, give the boy a break. If he says he's fine, then he's all right," said Harry.

After his parents had embraced Albus and given him a stern warning not to give them a reason to come back to Hogwarts, they went to have a word with Madam Patil. A quick conversation later and they were off to see Professor McGonagall before they left. Albus and the boys cracked jokes, claiming he should have transfigured Zabini into a ferret while he had the chance. Rose listened, only partially, as her mind was still running over something she had heard Albus say before the fight.

Harry and Ginny were almost down the flight of stairs when Rose burst out the hospital wing, shouting her uncle's name. They both stopped, and looked at her with concern.

"Is everything all right, Rosie?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, I just wanted to talk to Uncle Harry, if that's all right."

Ginny nodded and continued down the steps. Harry approached her and squatted in front of her, looking up at her with a smile. "Something you need to ask?"

"Uncle Harry," Rose started. "What exactly happened with Zabini's father?"

Harry's face darkened and he looked away. "Rose, I'm not sure you should be asking—"

"Please?" she said. "I want to know." She knew she couldn't ask anyone else. Her father would tell her a biased story, and probably make it out to be much worse than it was. Her mother would do the opposite. The rest of her family would tell her it was not for her ears; Harry was her only hope.

He sighed, and the worry lines made him look much older than he was. "Zabini's father was caught running away by Death Eaters during the Battle of Hogwarts. He was attacked, I don't know exactly what went on but I assume they were angry he wasn't helping them. Apparently, he hasn't been quite right in the head since. But his family didn't believe in getting him treated so they let him stay as he was."

"But the Daily Prophet said he was admitted to the Dai Llewellyn Ward a few weeks ago," said Rose. "Was it because of that?"

"No. The Ministry is trying to keep the whole thing quiet. But there was a pro-werewolf rally in Appleby that carried on for a few days until the full moon," Harry shook his head. "It was a misguided attempt to show werewolves were capable of staying in control of themselves, I think. Zabini and some of his friends came to cause trouble, unfortunately they picked the wrong night."

"I'm starting to think Zabini's parents aren't supporters of the movement?"

Harry nodded. "You've always been so smart." He rose and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I've really got to get going. If Albus gets in anymore trouble, you have permission from me to hex him." He winked.

They exchanged their goodbyes before she turned back in the direction of the hospital wing.

The movement in question was promoted by the Wizarding Creature Alliance. Founded out of the end of the Second Wizarding War, the group was meant to rehabilitate and enhance relationships between the Wizarding world and beasts and beings. Those beings who sided with Voldemort during the war were given the same treatment as witches and wizards who aligned themselves with the dark wizard's ideologies, with trials at the ministry and other forms of punishment that did not treat them differently. But this attempt under Minister Shacklebolt's leadership failed, and triggered a divided response.

Unfortunately, the W.C.A. had stirred the anger of many former Death Eaters and other wizarding families who had lost family members in the war, afraid these beasts and beings could turn on them any instant. Reformed Death Eaters were happy to shoulder the blame over to the creatures, claiming they were at the root of all the death and destruction that had ensued during Voldemort's reign. And those who were blinded by the pain of the Second Wizarding War felt they were justified in wanting the creatures that destroyed their families to be treated like the monsters they were.

Supporters of the W.C.A. were called Sympathizers by those who despised them. The Weasleys in particular, found themselves to be the poster family for the W.C.A. Especially because of Hermione's work as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. After Minister Shacklebolt retired early from his position, the new Minister of Magic had quietly enforced a policy of shutting down anything that could possibly be interpreted as an uprising, whether it was planned by the W.C.A. or those who were against it. He was rumored to be against the W.C.A., though he never spoke a word for or against it, and to be the reason that Gringotts had doubled the amount of wizard guards in the past few years and Firenze was not allowed to teach at Hogwarts, despite his qualifications to be the Divination professor.

Rose returned to her cousin's bed, and found most of his visitors had gone, except for Dominique and a new addition, Scorpius. The blond boy raised his eyebrows when she joined them. Dominique, however, looked as if she were about to burst with excitement.

"You'll never believe it. I was going to tell Albus and even though he pleaded for me to tell him—"

"— I didn't—"

"— I waited for you to come back." She beamed at her.

"Tell us what?" Rose asked, confused.

"Victoire and Teddy made up and they're going on holiday to Italy!" she squealed.

Albus looked surprised. "It took them four months to make up and he's already taking her on vacation?"

Dominique shook her head. "That's what they were arguing about! Teddy wanted to take her to Italy once she finished her seventh year, all expenses paid."

It made sense why they fought. Victoire was very sensitive about money after hearing how their parents had grown up. "So she wouldn't talk to him for months because he refused to let her pay?" Rose asked.

"Yes! She felt like he thought she couldn't afford it and she wanted to prove to him that she could handle it herself. But he finally agreed to let her pay her half!" Dominique exclaimed. Her smile disappeared when she glanced at the clock. "Merlin, I forgot I told Linda I'd meet with her in the library! I've got to go!" She scurried off into the hallway, shouting apologies to them.

Albus readjusted his sheets. "Where do you think Teddy's getting the money to pay for this trip?"

Rose shrugged. "Perhaps working at an ice cream shop really pays."

Scorpius, who had seemed out of place for the entirety of the conversation, finally spoke. "My gran gave her sister half the money my great Aunt Bellatrix had in her vault last Christmas. Maybe she gave her grandson some of that?"

"It took her almost twenty years to finally give the money?" Albus asked.

Scorpius shook his head. "The Ministry examined Bellatrix's will and searched thoroughly for dark items in her vault. My gran only got access to it about two years ago."

"What took them so long?" Rose asked.

"I think it had to do with Shacklebolt's work on all the other post-War issues. He had a lot to clean up," said Scorpius.

Albus nodded. "I reckon Death Eaters wills weren't the highest priority at the Ministry."

Scorpius cringed at the words "Death Eaters" and remained quiet.

"I wonder why Aunt Andromeda didn't tell us about it, or even Teddy." Rose sat on Albus's bed.

"It's probably why they tried to skive off Christmas dinner," said Albus, then turned to Malfoy. "Do you want to sit?" He moved his legs to make room.

Scorpius shook his head.

"What's your deal anyway?" Albus asked, and Rose smacked his arm for being so blunt.

"What do you mean?" Scorpius asked.

Albus narrowed his eyes. "You saved me. I would've been beaten to a pulp if it weren't for you."

Scorpius laughed nervously. "I suppose I just wanted to keep the grounds clean."

Rose tilted her head. "It was nice of you."

"Thanks."

They sat in silence and Scorpius stood awkwardly, playing with the button on his robes. Madam Patil came in, warning them visiting hours were nearly over, before she forced Albus to drink a vial of bluish medicine. He scrunched up his face, making gagging noises until he rested against his pillow. Once she made sure he was all right, Madam Patil bustled away to attend to other sick students.

Cicadas chirped in the distance and the sky bathed the room with indigo light.

"You shouldn't have said those things to him, you know," said Scorpius quietly.

"I know." Albus closed his eyes. "I had to teach him not to call me a coward."

"Think it backfired a bit." Scorpius managed a kind smile. "He deserved it, though. Zabini is kind of twisted. Pucey and Bole are too. But they're not going to try anything without his permission."

"Why do you hang around them anyway?" Rose asked Scorpius.

"I haven't got any other friends."

"I'll be your friend," Albus piped up.

"Really?"

"Yeah, anyone willing to save me from getting my arse kicked is a friend in my book," Albus laughed weakly.

And it was true. From then on, Scorpius Malfoy and Albus Potter became good friends.

* * *

Author's Note: Please review! Your comments will be immensely appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** This chapter is a bit of a departure from tradition in the way it starts and carries out. I'm also trying to show things going on outside of Rose and Hogwarts. It'll be more Scorose centered later on I promise.

Also I'd like to add that you may have noticed I have made a few tweaks here and there to canon (i.e. McGonagall was supposed to retire earlier, the events of this chapter should've happened a few years before) but it's all for good reason. I won't try to change anything large that'll disturb the masterpiece that is the Harry Potter series. :)

* * *

 _April 2018_

Neville Longbottom was getting married. At the ripe age of thirty-seven, he finally had mustered the courage to ask his long time girlfriend, Hannah Abbott, to marry him. And she had said yes.

Celebrations were under way, as he and his fiancee reunited with their old Hogwarts friends one late Saturday night in Hogsmeade. Seamus Finnigan was plastered almost immediately, claiming he had not had a good drink since he and Dean Thomas had adopted their daughter, Zoey. Parvati Patil cried upon reuniting with her friend Lavender Brown, whose beautiful face was still scarred deeply after several years, and Padma Patil cried upon reuniting with her friend Cho Chang, who cried in return for no apparent reason.

Hannah showed the modest ring off to her friends; Ernie MacMillian whistled and Justin Finch-Fletchley claimed he had given a better ring to his wife, Susan Bones, but she eyed the piece of jewelry longingly. Aberforth shouted that he was far too old to be handing out drinks to the lot of them, but the Weasleys heartily called another round to order, Hermione and Harry shaking their heads at the drunken state of their family.

Music played loudly in the background, only drowned out by the bustle of the partygoers.

"Damn, Neville. I didn't think anyone could get married so old, but you're full o' surprises, aren't ya?" Seamus said, his words slurred.

Lee Jordan, whose dreads hung down by his back, put an arm around Neville. "Man, lay off him, will you? Neville knows what he's doing. He's made a good choice, waiting this long. At least he knows his marriage will stick around." Lee had three failed marriages.

Neville looked sheepishly at the others, he hadn't drank as much, but had maintained a cheery mood the entire night. "I mean, taking this long just means I've really found the one, you know? It's never too late for love."

Ron groaned. "Neville, you have got to be the most—"

"I think it's sweet," Hermione intervened, beaming at him. Ron's eyebrows lifted, suddenly finding a new appreciation for Neville's words.

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "All that matters is that you and Hannah are happy, isn't it?"

"Right."

Luna Scamander spoke, "Will Hannah be moving into Hogwarts?"

Neville shook his head. "I've got a flat, Luna, you've been there. But actually, I was thinking about moving in with her."

"To the Shrieking Shack?" George asked, his hand shaking with what seemed to be his millionth shot of firewhiskey.

"No," said Neville. "To the Leaky Cauldron."

"Will you work there then?" Michael Corner asked.

"I don't know yet, maybe."

Now Hermione was aghast. "But Neville you love teaching Herbology! And you've only been working at Hogwarts for a few years."

"Settle down, Hermione, I didn't say I'd give this job up," said Neville, and Hermione relaxed. "I reckon I'll be old and shriveled up before I quit."

"That's m'boy," said Dean, extending a shot to Neville.

A familiar Weird Sisters tune filled the room and some people started dancing clumsily, bumping into each other as if they were teenagers again. Aberforth huffed and set out plates of pub food in front of them and went to the back room, mumbling under his breath about needing something stronger to drink. Ron bit into his greasy sandwich as Hermione poked at hers with a fork, earning a eye roll from her husband.

"What? I don't know how safe this is."

Harry laughed. "You think Aberforth would give us something inedible?"

Ron pulled away from the sandwich and made a face. "His vision _has_ gone a bit wonky in the past few years." He peeked under the slice of bread and shrugged before continuing to finish it off.

Luna pushed her food away. "Neville, how many people are you inviting?"

Hannah approached then, smiling brightly at all of them. "I'm trying to convince him not to invite all of Hogwarts. There's only so many Gryffindors I can handle all at once, their children is another story."

"Kind of disappointed Neville went for a Puff, if you ask me," Seamus laughed.

"I didn't get the chance to get a Gryffindor girl, all the good ones were taken," said Neville, putting his arm around Hannah. "It didn't even occur to me to ask any of the blokes. Smart thinking, mate."

Seamus grinned. "Cheers."

Hannah shook her head. "But for sure everyone here's invited, along with their families. 'Course both of our families. Some other Hogwarts people, the Fawcetts, Alicia Spinnet and her husband, the Malfoys—"

Ron coughed. "Wait— what?"

"Not this again," Ginny groaned.

However, Hannah didn't seem the least bit perturbed. "Well, of course I'll invite Draco and Astoria. We did go to school with them, it's only fair."

Ron sputtered, looking from Neville to Hannah, surprised. Hermione glared at him, silently warning him it wasn't his place.

Harry put a hand on Ron's shoulder. "The Malfoys are much better now, Ron. I know you've got some reservations but after what their son did to save Albus..."

"Albus didn't need saving! He would've been fine on his own!"

Ginny fumed. "You wouldn't be saying that if it was Hugo—"

"—he's got no business fighting people—"

"—Or Rose," she finished. "You and I both know what a nasty temper she's got. It'll get her in serious trouble one day."

Immediately, the image of George hopping on one foot while clutching the other swollen foot on Christmas day three years ago jumped into their minds. "You should have just told her where you hid _Les Miserables_ , would've saved you a lot of trouble," Ron had said as his daughter laughed maniacally.

Ron sighed and pulled Hermione's untouched drink towards him. Hannah shrugged, "If it makes you feel better, I know the Bat-Bogey Hex just as well as your sister. We can double team him if we need to."

"There won't be any double-teaming necessary," Ginny said sternly. Her words were to Hannah but she kept her eyes trained on Ron.

Lee cleared his throat, trying to break the tension, then raised his glass and said, "Here's to the lovely couple!"

* * *

 _August 2018_

The wedding was in Cornwall, on a hill adjacent to a sparkling, beautiful, blue body of water. Various sized stones dotted the edge of the coast, soon merging with the beach, where drunken guests went far enough, seeking an alcove in the rocks to share a furtive kiss. The marquee was filled with music, booming so the entire world could hear it seemed, and only a Cooling Charm could keep all the laughing and dancing and chattering guests at bay. Hannah was stunning in a simple long sleeve white dress, her hair spilling into magnificent spirals down her back. Neville's dress robes were particularly extravagant; his grandmother had imported them from Italy on account of her connections with the robemaker Lupinacci.

A particularly large cliff just down the way from the marquee overlooked the beautiful waves. Rose sat on the edge of a large rock on top of the cliff, close enough to see the tumbling water below but not close enough to give her mother a heart attack. She swung her legs back and forth, unfortunately her father's height had not passed on to her yet, and her Mary Jane's and frilly socks hovered precariously over the mossy rocks. She picked a candy from her complimentary jar of lemon drops as she looked out into the vast face of the sea. She was so preoccupied, in fact, that she had not heard anyone approaching.

"Mind if I join you? It's getting a bit too loud in there for me."

A combination of wind and the quickness of her turn caused her hair to fly in her face as she turned to see Scorpius Malfoy. "Yes, of course." She patted the spot next to her, and although the rock was a little damp from the mist and Scorpius's robes seemed to be just as expensive—if not more expensive—as Neville's, he hopped up next to her.

"Thanks." He eyed the jar in her hand for a moment. "May I have one? I received a jar of Pepper Imps and frankly I'm not as big as a fan of those as my mother is."

She nodded and offered him the candy. "I suppose you're saving those for her otherwise I'd take them off your hands. You haven't got a sweet tooth, then?"

"I kind of do," he said, chewing a lemon drop. "I mostly like savory stuff though. I could eat at the Great Feast forever."

Rose shook her head. "I reckon I've got a bigger sweet tooth than anyone I've met. When I was six I ate up all the cake for Uncle Harry's birthday before he even got to have any!"

"Liar," he said.

"I don't lie! Especially not about chocolate," she said matter-of-factly.

"I don't see why you would need to." Scorpius leaned to look out at the view; the tips of his shoes were nearly touching the ground. "Do you like the beach?"

"I can't say I don't." She set aside the now-empty jar. "Whenever we go to visit Victoire, Dominique, and Louis we'd play together on the beach since they live near one."

Scorpius seemed to be in thought, then: "Who's Louis?"

"My cousin."

"Is he at Hogwarts? I can't remember ever hearing of a Louis Weasley."

"He's not. He's a Squib."

The only sounds were of the water lapping against the rocks. There was nothing to be ashamed of, ever since the Second Wizarding War, Squibs had been integrated into wizarding society and given better career opportunities and laws enacted to protect from discrimination. But Rose wasn't embarrassed that her cousin was a Squib, she was concerned with how Scorpius would react. She was not sure what to make of him quite yet.

"How old is he?" he asked.

Rose played with the lace at the bottom of her dress. "He turned fourteen in May."

"Is it hard for him, you know—" He paused, trying to think of a way to rephrase it, but she stopped him.

"I know what you're trying to say," she said, raising her eyes to the skyline. "I have no doubt he feels left out sometimes, especially when we talk about Hogwarts so much. But we do our best to include him, he plays Quidditch and chess and Gobstones and he even sometimes makes jokes about not being able to do magic. We don't really bring it up but we don't ignore it either."

"I reckon with your family it's very hard to feel unwelcome anyway." He smiled at her. "Your cousin Albus's family has been very kind to me. They even let me sit with them today."

"Your parents didn't want to come?" Rose asked.

His pale face reddened. "They were busy."

She studied him closely, his words did not seem to ring true and he relented under her gaze. "Some people aren't as welcoming as your family. And..." He pulled at his collar as if it were growing tighter around his throat. "I don't think they thought it to be very appropriate if they were to come with me. But since my friends would be here, they didn't want to stop me from coming."

Rose thought about everything she had heard about the Malfoy family. She had only seen his parents at the train station, everything else was in pictures. The hundreds of magazines and newspapers and books talked about the infamous, wealthy family and their legacy intertwined with the dark arts. Although they had certainly reformed over the years, they were not vocal about their stance on the current issues plaguing the Wizarding World and preferred to keep behind the curtains at Malfoy Manor. Their silence gave voice to everyone else, who based their opinions on their past history.

"They can't keep hiding from everyone."

"They're not hiding!" he said quickly, then in a much quieter voice, "They weren't too close to Professor Longbottom or Mrs. Abbott at Hogwarts so they didn't think they'd say it was much of a loss if they couldn't make it." Despite his honesty, he was obviously uncomfortable talking about his family and Rose did not want to push him any further, though she had many burning questions.

"That's understandable," she said, laying down on the rock. The rough surface took a bit of shifting to adjust to but she finally rested her head. "Have you been to a wedding before?"

"I went to one a few years back. One of my father's house mates from Hogwarts." Scorpius looked at her curiously before laying down next to her. "What about you?"

"I've been going to them since I was a baby," she said. "The Scamanders, the Thomas-Finnigans, you name it."

"Pretty wicked."

"Yeah." She sighed. "I reckon it'll prepare me for planning the best wedding for myself when I'm older."

Scorpius hummed in agreement. "I'm sure I'll have loads of friends to invite when I'm forty."

"Forty!" Rose nearly sat up, but instead settled on her elbows and looked at him with surprise. "You'll be withering away when you're forty! You can't possibly plan a wedding."

"Oh, come on, Weasley," he said in a serious tone. "Professor Longbottom managed to do it. Besides, any time before that would be much too hectic."

" _Hectic_?" she cried. "Oh, I'd hate to be the person who's marrying you someday."

"And why is that?" Scorpius asked, amused.

Rose shook her head, as if the answer to his question was the most obvious thing in the world. And it was. "Because I'd be waiting on toes for you to propose to me and it'd never come around."

He laughed. "Well, it's a good thing you're not marrying me, then, isn't it?"

"Very." She lied back down on the rock and let her eyes travel along the purpling sky.

They laid in silence, not letting the full weight of their conversation hit them. Scorpius shuffled next to her and put his hands behind his head, reclining calmly and staring up ahead. "You know, I was joking, right? I wouldn't wait 'til I'm forty."

"I knew that."

He sighed. "Are you– Do you always insist on getting mad at someone who doesn't share your beliefs?" This was a very dangerous thing to say, for Scorpius was usually not this daring and Rose was slowly tipping over to anger.

"Not always," she said curtly.

Now, it was Scorpius's turn to prop himself up on his elbows and look at her. "That's not a very good habit. I only meant it to be a funny conversation about weddings."

"It's not about the weddings."

He looked bewildered. "Then what is it about?"

"I can't believe your parents didn't want to come and always leave you alone like this!"

Scorpius sighed. "Rose, you've got to understand that not everyone has the same type of family you do."

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" she snapped.

"I can't expect my family to hang around me all the time."

"My family doesn't 'hang around' me!" Rose cried. "They're there for me when I need them, just like a _normal_ , loving family."

Her anger at his parents seeped into her words and she realized too late the full impact of what she had said. His expression melted into one of sadness and her heart sank as he laid back against the rocks wordlessly. She opened her mouth to apologize but she knew the damage was already done; he had not wanted to talk about his family and she had pushed him into it.

Soft footsteps joined the sound of the crashing waves and giggling followed soon after.

"Rose!"

She hopped off the rock and met Andie and Albus, who carried plates of wedding cake. Andie looked even more vibrant in her flowy, turquoise dress and Albus appeared uncomfortable in the dress robes his father had bought him and his mother had stuffed him into.

Andie held out her plate. "We came to tell you that they served the cake! Do you want some of mine?"

Rose shook her head. "That's all right. I'll get some of my own." She looked back up at the motionless boy laying on top of the big rock. Andie and Albus followed her line of vision, surprised to see that Rose hadn't been alone.

Albus called, "Scorpius, do you want to come eat cake with us?"

Scorpius moved a fraction of an inch, as if he were actually considering getting up and going back to the marquee, but then said, "I don't think I'm feeling quite well, thanks."

Albus handed Andie his plate and moved closer to the rock. "Should I tell my parents? Is it serious? My grandmum might have something for it."

"No!" Scorpius said with more force than necessary. Any mention of family seemed to exhaust him at this point. Rose felt guilt stirring in her stomach but didn't say a word for fear of making the situation worse. He backtracked. "I am fine, I just need a bit of fresh air that's all."

"Do you want company?" Albus asked.

Surprisingly, Scorpius said yes, but in a way that indicated Albus was the only person who was welcome to stay. Andie seemed unfazed by this and returned Albus's plate to him before she led Rose back to the marquee.

"I know you're upset." Albus said quietly. "What happened? Did Rose say something?"

Scorpius swallowed. "She didn't have to. I already knew."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Don't worry the Malfoy parents aren't as bad as they seem. Review please!


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone! I've recently read some Cursed Child spoilers and realized that my plans for this story don't align with some of the things in the play. So I've decided to just continue with my interpretation of how I see the lovely Next Gen's experiences at Hogwarts and hope you will enjoy them as well! Thanks! :)

* * *

 _September 2018_

 _ **Uprising in Falmouth Gone Wrong; Three Dead, Fifteen Injured**_

 _By Indigo Flume_

 _Neighbors in Falmouth were awoken_ _late Thursday night by the discordant sounds of yet another Wizarding Creature Alliance display. The rally, organized by the infamous Zacharias Smith and a group of colleagues, was meant to raise awareness about giants and their possible benefits to wizarding society. However, this senseless demonstration was cut short with the arrival of a band of cloaked men and women who attacked the Sympathizers. In their brawl, a number of people were stunned and petrified. "Some were even brandishing knives," cried a witness, Bernard Simmons, who had been knitting a sweater moments before the incident. When asked to describe which side observed the most hostile behavior, Simmons said the violence was "too terrifying from both sides" and that she has plans to move in with her sister for the time being._

 _By the end of the night, three Sympathizers were killed and authorities have yet to confirm or deny if these deaths were caused by an Unforgivable Curse. Fifteen patients were admitted to St. Mungo's soon after, with varying ranges of injury severity. Two were members of the cloaked group; the rest fled the scene when authorities arrived and have not been identified._

 _Minister of Magic Stamford Jorkins did not address the incident directly but expressed his condolences. "I am truly sorry to those who lost friends and family in Falmouth. Every drop of wizard blood is sacred and we must do everything in our power to prevent something like this from happening again." Earlier in the week he was quoted saying, "The Wizarding Creature Alliance is passionate about their cause but their displays have done more harm than good." No word from the Wizarding Creature Alliance has been released at this time._

"Rosie, stop reading the bloody paper and pass me the salt," James cried.

When she failed to comply, Fred reached across her and grabbed the shaker, handing it to his cousin. "Was it that bad?"

"Read it for yourself," Rose said absently, handing him the Daily Prophet.

As Fred scanned the paper, Molly joined them, a little breathlessly, adjusting her Prefect badge. "Is that today's paper?" she asked, pouring herself some pumpkin juice. "I heard some Ravenclaws talking about it on my way over here. Things are getting worse, aren't they?"

Worse wasn't even the half of it. Over summer, a group of merrymen listening to the Quidditch World Cup on a wireless over a round of firewhiskey had a run-in with a pile of brutally murdered hags. A few weeks later, before Neville and Hannah's wedding, members of the Wizarding Creature Alliance were meeting at the Leaky Cauldron, planning an event, but were attacked by an unknown source. Small incidents like these were cropping up all over England, a missing person here, an injured person there, all somehow connected to the Wizarding Creature Alliance and their opponents.

The Prophet had included one of the worst stories thus far and Rose trembled at the thought of anything happening to her family. She realized, with a faint drop of her heart, that things had only begun to get worse since her family members and friends had acquired positions of power and tied themselves closely to the cause. The only detail that eased her worry was that, at the very least, most of her cousins were safe within Hogwarts walls.

It was their first week back and the first Friday of the year. Headmistress Vector, who was a spectacular replacement for Professor McGonagall though no one would ever dare compare the two, had given specific directions the first night to avoid the Room of Requirement as usual and introduced the new Arithmancy professor, Dean Thomas, and the new Transfiguration professor, Roger Davies. When Hagrid had visited the Burrow in July to tell them the news, James, Albus, and Dominique said they could have sworn their fathers had rolled their eyes, though none of them knew why.

"What have you got this morning?" said Molly, cutting into her thoughts. "Herbology?"

"Yes!" Andie answered for her, appearing at her elbow. "Professor Longbottom's first lesson of the year. Oh, how I adore learning Herbology! I wouldn't be surprised if I were the next Herbology professor myself. Don't you agree, James?" She looked to him for validation.

James raised an eyebrow at her. "I dunno, being around Abyssinian Shrivelfigs and Bowtruckles isn't exactly the thrill I look for," he said, forking eggs into his mouth.

It amazed Rose how overtly head-over-heels her friend was for her cousin and how overtly indifferent he was to it.

"James!" The growing throng of people at their table grew even larger with the arrival of James's best mate, Vaughn Hobday. "Ah, Freddie, didn't see you there." Vaughn never felt the need to acknowledge anyone other than the two. "Have you two seen the ridiculous Quidditch practice schedule our lovely captain has mapped out for us? I reckon I don't even have time to wipe my arse after using the loo." Vaughn also never felt the need to censor himself. It was one of the winning traits that lured James into their friendship.

"Of course I saw it! Wood's gone mental. As if winning the cup last year with half the practice wasn't good enough," James scoffed.

Fred huffed, "Does she know we can't make it to the Quidditch World Cup?"

Vaughn let out a noise of indignation, only because a piece of toast was buried in his mouth. As they chattered about Quidditch, Molly took the paper from Fred's hands, shaking her head as she ran her eyes across the paper.

Andie leaned closer to Rose. "Cat's got your tongue?"

"I'm just worried. It's sickening how this has happened multiple times in the past few months and the Ministry is just ignoring it," said Rose, scooping oatmeal into her mouth.

"I'm not surprised," said Molly. "You heard what our parents have said about how the Ministry was like before. Unreliable, corrupt."

Rose knit her brows. "Yes, but I thought that would've changed with Shacklebolt being Minister of Magic."

Molly took a swig of her pumpkin juice. "Well, Shacklebolt isn't Minister anymore, is he?"

"My dad says that Jorkins fellow is a nasty git," Andie agreed. "Says he's very secretive and only has his own best interests at heart. He's probably only in it for the money."

"And to help bring down the Wizarding Creature Alliance from the inside," Rose added.

They all ate their food silently, listening to the boys' conversation.

"...and if I could finish with a Wronksi Feint we'd definitely have a solid place in winning the House Cup this year," Vaughn was saying.

Molly wrinkled her nose. "I can't believe you're worried about the Quidditch schedule of all things. Have you heard about what's in the paper? Fifteen people at St. Mungo's!"

"That nasty virus is still going around, then?" Vaughn said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"No! It's another attack on the Wizarding Creature Alliance. Aren't you worried at all that there might be an attack there?" she said shrilly. Her concern was understandable; her mother was a Healer-In-Charge for the fourth floor, patients with spell damage.

Vaughn shrugged. "'Tis unfortunate, really, if what you say is true."

"Yeah, it is." Molly's disgust was palpable.

He stood up, picking up a banana from the platter in front of Rose. "I'll see you in class, mate," he nodded at James. "I've left my book back at the dorms."

Fred busied himself with his food and James scooted forward, trying to pick a good apple from the pile in the middle. Molly was fixing to stand up when Andie spoke quietly.

"I think I'd like to try out for the team this year."

"Quidditch?" Molly asked, surprised.

"No, the bloody Gobstones team," said James, but his expression was delighted. "That's brilliant! Are you any good?"

Andie visibly colored at his interest. "Sort of, yeah. I play with my family on holidays."

"What position do you play?" asked Fred.

"Seeker."

James tilted his head thoughtfully. "Vaughn plays Seeker. But I bet I could convince him to tryout as Chaser. Tryouts are on Saturday by the way. At two o'clock."

Even Molly's anger at Vaughn had disappeared. "More girls on the team! How fantastic! I'll be sure to tell Juliana."

"Yeah, Wood was complaining that it'd be an all-boys team if it continued at the rate it was going," Fred said, nodding his head approvingly.

Rose managed an encouraging smile, though she was disconnected from the topic. It was when Andie suggested that Rose try out with her that James and Fred promptly burst into a raucous round of laughter, causing Molly to bite her lip from laughing herself.

"Absolutely not," said Rose. She tried to glare at her cousins but it was a fruitless attempt; they were still banging on the tables and wheezing, causing some people around them to look at them curiously.

"Why not?" Andie was confused. "You _did_ tell me that you didn't play Quidditch but why not try out for fun."

"Because it'd be a grand waste of time."

"Oh, Merlin, you can't be that awful!" Andie exclaimed.

"She is!" James and Fred chorused. Molly, at least, had the decency to rise from her seat and hastily say goodbye to them before giggling to herself as she walked away.

* * *

"All right, everyone make groups of four. Should be evenly divided."

Professor Longbottom's Herbology class scattered at the sound of his words. Students rushed to take a seat next to their friends in time, but Rose and Andie sat quietly, waiting for two more people to join. The stool next to Andie scraped the floor as Roxanne sat in it and transferred her rucksack onto her lap, grinning at the two.

"Roxie!" Andie said cheerfully.

Roxanne smiled. "Easy, Andie. Don't get too excited. I'm rubbish at Herbology, you can ask Rosie."

Rose nodded distractedly, flipping through her text. "She's only joined us because we're two of the best in this class. She's not going to do any work."

"I'd be offended, but it's true. I'm here to mooch off of you two." Roxanne swung her legs, waiting for the class to finally begin.

Longbottom furrowed his brow, glancing around the greenhouse. "McLaggen, Diggle, quit fooling around and using your books as Beater's bats. Malfoy, please join a group immediately."

This caused Rose to look up from her book. Sure enough, the blonde boy in question was looking around curiously, searching for a group.

Roxanne waved at him. "Join us, Malfoy." He looked around one last time before taking the last seat next to Rose.

"Excellent. So now that everyone has a group, I want you to all take a few sticks from that pile over there and practice the Severing Charm as a group. Be sure to take turns and make sure everyone has mastered it. We'll be trying to use this spell on actual bowtruckles next week." Professor Longbottom motioned for them to get started and Rose turned to Scorpius as Andie gathered sticks for their group.

She hesitated. Their last interaction had ended badly at their aforementioned professor's wedding.

"Had a good summer, Rose?" he asked kindly.

"Of Course. You?"

"Yeah."

Andie dumped the sticks in front of them. "I love this class but I cannot for the life of me understand charms." She pulled out her wand and twirled it but it only conjured a small puff of smoke.

Scorpius laughed softly and produced his sleek, black wand. "It's like this: _Diffindo_."

The stick snapped cleanly in two.

"Good work, Malfoy!" Longbottom said cheerily, walking by the group with his hands behind his back. "Merlin's beard, Bole, it's _diffindo_ not _Gryffindor_."

Rose bounced her leg impatiently. "Let me try." She swiftly did the same wand movement as Scorpius and got the same results. She smiled, and although it was not a competition, she felt as if she had won. "Easy."

Roxanne and Andie exchanged looks. They both knew Rose had an affinity for proving herself, since she was expected to be as great as her parents and was constantly in the public eye. At the beginning of her first year, the Prophet had speculated whether or not Rose would be just as successful in school as her mother and then congratulated her at the end of the year, praising her brilliant mind. This year, however, her brother Hugo had seemed to steal the spotlight (for which she was grateful) and by the second day, there had already been an article on how the youngest Granger-Weasley had been sorted into Hufflepuff, bless his soul.

"That was very nice," said Scorpius, leaning his forearms on the table. "But it's not as if I expected you to be rubbish with Charms."

"Academics is one of the few things I'm successful with," said Rose. "I've got to redeem myself somehow."

Scorpius cocked his head. "What are you on about?"

"She's just upset that I'm trying out for Quidditch," Andie answered, waving one of the twigs instead of her wand. "Poor Rosie can't believe I'm better than her at something."

Rose rolled her eyes. "You're quick to gloat. You haven't even made the team yet."

Andie shrugged.

"You don't like Quidditch, then?" Scorpius was rearranging the broken sticks neatly. "I didn't think you were so against it."

"I'm not against Quidditch. I love watching games and hearing about them and talking about it." She dragged his pile of sticks closer to her. "I just don't play it. I c-can't fly on a broom," she added, not lifting her eyes from her hands.

Scorpius smiled, "That's what this is about?" His voice was soothing and nice, not the mocking tone she'd expected. "Rose, you've got to let other people be good at things too, you know." Roxanne nodded in agreement.

She looked up at him slowly and saw the genuine kindness in his words reflected in his eyes. "I know that," she said, the corners of her lips turning upward. "But it gets in the way of me being the best at everything." An unspoken apology. _I like talking to you and I'm sorry about what happened over summer and I'm sorry I didn't owl you—_

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Is there a book for that or something?" She was forgiven. _I have as much fault in this as you do._

Rose laughed, relieved. "I've tried everything but the Restricted Section."

"Huh." He tapped his wand on his lap. "I reckon _I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings_ doesn't have a chapter on that or else you would've already been well on your way."

"What?"

"That's your favorite book, isn't it?" he said slowly.

"How did you know that?" Rose asked, mildly surprised.

He blinked at her. "Because you told me?" When she merely looked more confused, he added, "Last year. You said it was a Muggle book but it was your favorite nonetheless. The only thing that came close was _Hogwarts, a History_. The original, not the newer version."

She wrinkled her forehead. "And you remembered that?"

"Of course. You're my friend, aren't you?" he said nonchalantly. "Here, Roxanne, you've almost got it. Let me show you."

She sat back as he scooted to help Roxanne and Andie master the Severing Charm. How had he remembered? She certainly hadn't packed her tattered copy of the book nor mentioned it that often for fear that no one would understand her. She was touched that he had remembered a seemingly insignificant detail about her and that he'd made her feel slightly better about being awful at Quidditch. He was a mystery to her but he seemed to know her better the longer they knew each other. She didn't even know _his_ favorite book.

The rest of class passed with the two of them helping Andie and Roxanne until they both could do the charm with their eyes closed (unfortunately for Andie, she nearly severed off a piece of Dessie Nott's scarf in the process). Professor Longbottom congratulated those who mastered the charm and reminded them that the following lesson they would have to stay in their groups.

Rose had packed her bag and was walking out of the greenhouse when Scorpius came up at her shoulder, slightly out of breath.

"It's _Le Petit Sorcier_ , by the way. It's a twist on a Muggle book by a French wizard."

"What?"

"My favorite book." His hair caught the sunlight when they crossed the path into the castle. "In case you were wondering."

* * *

"The past three years we've completely annihilated every team at the Quidditch Final! And we _cannot_ take home the cup this year if every single one of you are not dedicated to this team," Juliana Wood spat. She was decked in red and gold, pacing up and down the line of potential Chasers, Beaters, Keepers, and Seekers, all ranging from frightened second years to smirking sixth years who lounged casually against their brooms.

Rose sat in the stands with Albus, both of them bundled up in their scarves leaning towards each other for warmth, despite the Hot-Air Charm she'd performed for them. She squinted her eyes, searching for Andie's figure and found her standing in between James and Fred, nervously (or excitedly, perhaps) hopping from foot to foot and listening to Wood's motivational speech.

"It's my second to last year here and my first year as Captain of this team. And I'm not going to let you ruin it for me or Gryffindor. If every single one of you put your blood, sweat, and tears into this season, it'll be a good one. Now, if anyone is not up for the challenge..." Wood extended her arm behind her, "Please do show yourself the way out."

Surprisingly, a few third and fourth years set down their brooms and walked in the direction she'd indicated. Wood was unfazed. "The rest of you, I want you to do a warm up lap."

Albus let out a low whistle. "Wood's really taking this seriously," he said as the students lined up and took off on their brooms one by one.

"Well, of course! I reckon word got back to Wood about Slytherin's new and improved team. We can't have them winning the Cup," Rose said matter-of-factly, then cheered as Andie zoomed past them on her broom.

Albus leaned into Rose, "I hope she makes the team."

"I know she will. She's brilliant."

"I wouldn't say anyone better than you is brilliant," Albus smirked. "That's not much of a high standard."

"Oh, sod off!" She slapped his arm just as a bushy haired boy clambered up the steps and joined them.

"Hiya, Al! Rosie!" Hugo said cheerily. He lifted up the bowl in his arms, "I just came from Hagrid's! He gave me some of these wicked rock cakes." He looked up at them with his large, brown eyes. "Would you like some?"

Albus shook his head and Rose politely said, "No, thank you. Have a seat, watch with us."

Hugo obliged, hopping into the spot on the other side of Rose, nearly knocking off his yellow and black scarf. "Who's playing?" he asked, crunching down on a rock cake.

"It's tryouts," Albus explained. "Wood's just dividing the team in half and doing a scrimmage to see everyone's strengths. Andie's waving!" He and Rose waved back and Hugo gave the biggest smile he could.

Wood's voice was saying, "When I blow my whistle, I want you all to play like this is an actual game. I've put you in the positions you want but if I think you're fit to play another, I'll move you. For Merlin's sake, Weasley keep your arse on the broom— not you! Your last name isn't even Weasley! Potter, I'll—" The whistle sounded and they were off.

Vaughn Hobday careened past the opposing Chaser with ease, carrying the Quaffle in his arm. He tossed it to James, who only nearly missed a Bludger by sinking lower on his broom. On the other side, Andie hovered in the same area as Malachai Diggle, her eyes narrowed in search of the Snitch. Fred seemed to make a joke out of messing with the older players and moved in a zigzag pattern that angered the hopefuls, to the point that Carolyn Mina snatched a Beater's bat from the hand's of a fourth year and set off behind him.

Wood kicked the Quaffle out of the way of one of the goal posts and scanned the air. "Diggle, switch to Chaser, you're a rubbish Seeker. Hobday, fill in for him and give Corner a run for her galleons."

The boys did as they were told and immediately Andie plummeted towards the grass, a golden glint catching her eye. Hobday flew after her, and though his broom was a newer model, he was flying at a much slower pace and did not have the advantage of turning around quickly when the Snitch decided to fly north. He stumbled as Andie outstretched her arm, trying to shrink the distance between her and the ball.

"The scrimmage has only started and she's almost got the Snitch!" Albus cried, rising from his seat.

Rose screamed and Hugo dropped his rock cakes, jumping up and down. The few other people in the stands were watching with wide eyes and open mouths.

James, who was now in possession of the Quaffle again, stopped in midair to watch his best friend fly after Andie, a satisfied smile appearing across his features. Vaughn was now next to Andie and shouldered her, getting the momentum he needed to get ahead. His fingers were long but not long enough to get the Snitch and the ball traveled across the pitch; Vaughn panted in effort to touch it with even the tips of his fingers. It was close— its wings fanning his hand and glowing in the light from the emerging sun— he leaned forward in anticipation—

And another set of fingers wrapped around the Snitch.

"GO ANDIE!" Albus hollered and Rose hugged Hugo gleefully. James and Fred pumped their fists in the air and Vaughn clapped Andie on the back, a smile that didn't reach his eyes spreading across his face. It was when they touched the ground that Rose, Albus, and Hugo ran across the pitch, nearly jumping on Andie and giving her congratulations.

Wood had a straight face, most likely due to the fact that people other than the Quidditch hopefuls were now joining them on the field. "I wouldn't get too excited. Just because she caught the Snitch doesn't mean she's on the team. And Diggle you're a rubbish Chaser too. I'll be posting the roster in the Common Room tonight after dinner. Thank you to everyone who tried out today. Good scrimmage." She turned on her heel and walked towards the changing room.

Andie looked crestfallen at the news and Albus threw an arm around her. "Don't worry, mate, she'd be mental not to give you a spot."

"Yeah!" James agreed. "That was bloody amazing! Even Vaughn didn't see you coming from below."

His compliment seemed to lift Andie's spirits. "Really?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

Vaughn gave a sour smile as James put an arm around him.

"Really," James affirmed, half-listening as his attention turned to the rest of the team.

"I think he's warming up to you," said Albus encouragingly.

Promptly after dinner, a piece of parchment was charmed to hang on the wall in the Common Room:

 _Gryffindor Quidditch Team Roster_

 _Chaser- James Potter, 3rd_

 _Chaser- Fred Weasley, 4th_

 _Chaser- Vaughn Hobday, 3rd_

 _Beater- Molly Weasley, 6th_

 _Beater- Malachai Diggle, 6th_

 _Seeker- Andrea Corner, 2nd_

 _Keeper- Juliana Wood, 6th_

* * *

Please review, it's much appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** I actually have zero idea how the schedules and classes at Hogwarts are set up but I'm trying my best to stay true to the books. :)

 _January 2019_

A bright, shiny "P" was written in red ink at the top of the essay in front of her. Like most of the essays she had already passed back, Rose grimaced at the sight of it and handed it to Andie to give it to another student. But Andie froze and looked at the corner of the paper.

"Er— this is yours, Rose." She extended the flimsy parchment to her friend, almost afraid of her reaction.

Rose recognized her own loopy scrawl and shook her head. "Merlin, Binns has messed up the grading, hasn't he? It's all right." She raised her hand.

Professor Binns continued to float around the room with his back turned to the class and finally with an exasperated sigh called on Rose.

"Excuse me, Professor, but it appears you have made a slight mistake with the grading on this essay," said Rose politely. A few students in the back voiced their agreement.

"I haven't," he said curtly, turning to face the group of students. Everyone seemed mildly disappointed with their scores. "The essays I received from the class as a whole were absolutely dreadful. And it was quite an easy topic, really. Analyzing magical trading standards. You have all truly surprised me, I expect next time will be better."

Rose opened her mouth to retort but Professor Binns dismissed the class and everyone rushed out of their seats, eager to toss their essays and go to dinner.

"Come on, then, Rose. You can't fix your grade by boycotting dinner," said Andie, putting a gentle hand on her friend's arm.

Rose slung her bag over her shoulder and snatched the essay off the table. "You're right." She marched to the front of the empty classroom and put her hands on her hips. "Professor, surely there's been a misunderstanding."

"Nonsense, Miss Weaselton, you received the grade you deserved," he droned.

"I worked really hard on this essay, sir. I think I did a perfectly good job discussing the limitations on potions ingredients and I even went into great detail right here" —she pointed at about halfway down the parchment— "about the how many dead blowfish are allowed in one jar when crossing the border."

"That all sounds excellent. Perhaps that is why you didn't get a 'Dreadful' or a 'Troll'."

Rose huffed. "But I've never failed anything! Ever!" The formality was slipping from her words.

"Well, there's always a time for firsts." He was preparing for his next lesson, flipping through texts, or rather the texts were flipping themselves and he seemed to be fighting sleep.

"Perhaps the Prefects graded them wrong? Perhaps they misheard you?" she asked.

"No, I did not require the assistance of the Prefects for this particular assignment," he murmured. "I used a special charmed quill to grade them."

"Perhaps your quill was faulty!" said Rose. This accusation was a bit too far and Professor Binns drew away from the books and floated so he was right in front of her. "Sorry, sir."

"Miss Weaselton, I think it's best that you head to dinner. I promise you I checked thrice to maintain the accuracy of the scores." He drifted away, calling back: "If it's any consolation, most of the class failed."

Rose stood, defeated with her essay hanging limply at her side. Andie gently tugged on her arm. "Let's go. I reckon your cousins will have eaten up all of the good turkey legs by now," she said, giving her a small smile. But Professor Binns words echoed in Rose's head.

"Professor?"

A beat and then, " _Yes?"_ Irritation laced his tone.

"You said most of the class failed. But not all. Then who did pass?" she asked, cocking her head to one side.

"Why," he wrinkled his already wrinkly forehead, "I believe the blond boy, Mister Malenfant, was the sole recipient of an 'Acceptable' on this assignment. In fact, I remember his essay was only marginally better than yours—"

That was enough. That was all Rose needed to hear before she tore out of the room, her blood pounding in her ears. She was incensed, to say the least, and was bounding down the steps two at a time, making it difficult for Andie to catch up. _Of course, it was Malfoy_. How could he get a higher score than her?

"Rose! Stop! What are you going to do?" Andie was panting, her shoes clicking on the steps behind her.

What _would_ she do? She would show Malfoy how angry she was, she would show him he wasn't any better than her, just because he could get a passing score on an essay. She would show him what happened when he tried to outshine her, she would show him...

 _So that's little Scorpius. Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie._

Her vision blurred with anger and her hand was curled into a fist around her essay as she burst into the Great Hall. Everyone was talking cheerily and eating with their friends, it was only when she strode purposefully past the Gryffindor table that some people looked up at her. And Andie yelling her name didn't help either.

"Rose?" Roxanne was surprised as Rose stopped at the Slytherin table, but moved sideways to create a space for her. "Did you want to join us?"

"No!" Rose slammed her fist on the table, her eyes burning a hole into the damned blond boy's forehead. "GET UP!"

He started, dropping his fork. "Wha- _Rose?_ "

"I SAID GET UP!"

"Rosie!" Roxanne shouted and Dominique was making her way down the table, most likely being nosy than trying to stop it.

Scorpius stood, albeit slowly, and half-raised his hands in surrender. "What's happened?" he asked innocently.

"Don't act like you don't know!" she cried. "You did this on purpose! You knew and you used me!"

"Merlin's pants, Rose, I have no idea what you're talking about!" His eyes widening in horror at the thought of being in her line of fire.

"The essay! The bloody History of Magic essay!" She threw the piece of parchment at his chest and it fell to the floor, the gleaming red "P" clearly visible.

His face softened with understanding. "I didn't write what you wrote."

"Bullshite!"

Someone, who sounded faintly like James, whistled and made a comment. _Later, I'll kill him too._

"I wouldn't lie! I don't know why I got a better score than you, I'm fairly certain you put much more work into it than I did. But I swear to you, I didn't cheat." There was something about his tone that made her want to believe him.

"Isn't it suspicious that the _only_ time you ask me for help on an assignment, you do better than me?" Rose was near tears now. "I didn't pass because of you! I hope you're happy," her voice cracked on the last word and her cousins sat frozen at the table, debating whether or not to comfort her.

Scorpius's face reddened with anger. "Why would I do that to you? I didn't even _use_ what you told me to put."

"Right, then. Do you have your essay?" she said, near hysterics. As a response, he merely shifted uncomfortably.

"Why am I not surprised?" She turned on her heel and walked in the direction she'd come from as he shouted after her.

"I threw it in the rubbish bin. I didn't think to keep it! I'm sorry—"

"Sod off, Malfoy!"

* * *

"It'll cheer you up, Rosie, please!"

"I don't want to play, Hugo. I've got to study."

Rose sat in the Common Room on one of the couches by the fire with her Herbology text open in her lap, unable to read because of the steady stream of anger that came from remembering she had the class early the next morning with the Slytherins. And after their first lesson, Scorpius had grown accustomed to sitting with her, Andie, and Roxanne even though they no longer had group assignments. She'd managed to avoid him the rest of Wednesday night, and today had been blissful, for Defense Against the Dark Arts was with the Hufflepuffs and Double Potions was with the Ravenclaws, so she had ranted to Albus while ignoring his claims that Scorpius was truly sorry.

Hugo lay on his stomach on the floor in front of her resting on his elbows, frowning at his chess set. James, Vaughn, and Fred were tossing Quaffles to each other in the middle of the room, Molly was curled up reading a romance novel in one of the other chairs nearby, and Roxanne was picking apart Chocolate Frogs that had melted into one giant glob.

"You know everything by heart!" Hugo protested. "You can't sulk forever."

Rose looked up from her book. "I'm not sulking, I'm getting ahead."

"Uncle Neville loves you, he wouldn't let you fall behind. Just one game, please!"

Rose snapped her book shut. "There's things you don't understand, Hugo. No matter how good I think I am, there will always be someone one step ahead of me. I learned that lesson the hard way and I'm not going to let it happen again. Now, if you'll excuse me." She stood up, smoothed her skirt, and carried her book up to the dormitories.

"He's really upset her," Roxanne said sympathetically.

Hugo let out a noise that sounded much like a growl and stood up. "I'm going to give him a piece of my mind."

"Who? Malfoy?" laughed Molly. "If he's as shifty as Rose said, he's not going to be fazed by her little puffball of a brother."

"I'm not a puffball!" Hugo cried, sticking out his chest.

Roxanne giggled and mussed his hair. "You're truly a Gryffindor at heart, Hugo."

"Roxie, I want you to take me to Slytherin. I want to speak to Malfoy."

"You're just House hopping today, aren't you, little cousin?" said James, approaching them and trying to balance the Quaffle on a finger. "What business have you got with Malfoy?"

"I'm defending my sister's honor!" He nodded towards the portrait hole. "Come on, then, Roxie."

Roxanne arched her brow and looked from Molly to James, as if to ask them if this were a good idea, before finally clambering out of the portrait hole behind Hugo.

The Slytherin Common Room was just as green as Hugo expected it but far more lively than he had anticipated. It was almost an exact reflection of the Gryffindor common room: couples sitting in corners of the room, younger students playing Gobstones, and others gossiping and laughing with their friends. Scorpius Malfoy was sitting in one of the chairs by the window, the Daily Prophet open in his lap and glanced up slowly when he noticed the younger boy walking up to him with Roxanne in tow.

"Scorpius, this is my cousin Hugo. I don't know if you've properly met or not but—"

"You're Rose's brother, right?" Scorpius smiled, it was a kind smile, and Hugo was almost fooled.

He crossed his arms. "Yes, I am. I'd like to have a word with you."

Roxanne gestured to the other side of the room. "I'll be over there."

Scorpius watched her leave curiously, before turning to look at Hugo. "You're not here to off me on Rose's behalf, are you?"

"Let's hope not." Hugo was at Scorpius's shoulder when he stood but the younger boy was giving him a hard glare.

"Is she all right? She still doesn't believe me, does she?" Scorpius bit his lip.

"She has no reason to!" Hugo squeaked.

"I've been nothing but honest." The blond set down the newspaper and put his hands in his pockets. "I said I'm sorry I hurt her, but from what Albus told me she doesn't want to hear it."

"It's because you've yet to prove just how sorry you are." Hugo physically resembled his mother but the anger flaring in his words and his eyes was nothing short of his father's Weasley temper.

"I've got this." Scorpius pulled out a folded piece of parchment with an "A" written at the top. "It's my essay. I pulled it out of the rubbish bin before I went to lunch today. Had to clean it off a bit but it's all intact."

Hugo faltered, "Why'd you do that?" It was a nicer action than he had expected Malfoy to be capable of.

"I had to show Rose I really didn't copy her. She's my friend and I don't want to lose her over something this trivial," said Scorpius, sheepish.

Hugo lowered his eyes to the essay. "So you really didn't cheat?"

"No, of course not. And I think I've got another idea on how to fix it as well."

"Well, do what you have to do," Hugo said lamely. He was prepared for Malfoy to be much more aggressive and unrelenting; he hadn't been prepared for him to be this... nice.

Scorpius smiled again. "I do hope it works. Your sister is, ah, passionate about her beliefs."

"Stubborn, you mean?" Roxanne said at Hugo's shoulder, finally deeming the conversation safe enough to join. "That's our Rosie. If you don't agree with her ideas, prepare to feel her wrath." She threw an arm around Hugo. "And prepare to feel her little brother's wrath too."

Scorpius nodded. "I wish I had a sibling as loyal as you," he said to Hugo.

"Do you have siblings?" Hugo piped up. Scorpius shook his head.

Roxanne shrugged. "I mean, who needs siblings when you and Albus are practically joined at the hip. I hear you may be going to Uncle Harry's and Aunt Ginny's for Easter. Is that true?"

Scorpius lit up at this statement. "Hopefully. I was surprised my parents actually didn't mind... I didn't think they'd... er..."

"Maybe you could visit the Burrow too!" Roxanne suggested, sensing his discomfort. But Hugo drew away from her and looked at her with alarm, no doubt picturing his father's reaction to a Malfoy showing up at Grandmum and Granddad's home.

"I think I'll pass for now. Wouldn't want to overstep my welcome," said Scorpius, giving Hugo a knowing look.

* * *

Herbology was enjoyable, for the first fifteen minutes at least. It seemed Scorpius had decided not to show altogether and Rose was happily repotting Mandrakes with Roxanne and Andie, as they shouted to each other, not being able to hear over the cries of the baby Mandrakes and the earmuffs that covered their ears.

"WHEN ARE THESE MANDRAKES GOING TO GROW UP?"

"WENDELL BELBY'S GOING TO THROW UP?" Andie nearly dropped the pot she was holding when she turned to look at the Gryffindor boy, who was fast asleep beneath one of the tables. "DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT!"

"YOU DON'T LIKE IT?"

Professor Longbottom adjusted his earmuffs and bent over a Slytherin girl's row of Mandrakes. He was opening his mouth to speak when he looked up to the entrance of the greenhouses. Following his line of vision, Rose spotted Scorpius's face contorted in pain until he slipped on a pair of earmuffs and hurried to hand a note to their professor. She felt annoyance surging through her when the boy turned to look at her and made his way towards her.

She made a show of turning away from him until he produced another sheet of parchment and placed it in front of her without a word. It was a History of Magic essay with an "A" written at the top. Renewed anger was stirring in the pit of her stomach. _Was it necessary for him to brag?_ Rose shouldered him and was heading towards another row of Mandrakes when he gently grabbed her arm and pointed at the top of the essay. It was _her_ essay.

Puzzled, she shook her head and Scorpius gestured for Rose to follow him. They walked through the entrance to another greenhouse where all of the already potted Mandrakes were being housed. This greenhouse was quiet, save for the few students who were organizing pots and rearranging the flowers that grew there, so they were safe to remove their earmuffs.

"I don't understand," she whispered, her eyes dancing from the assignment to him.

Scorpius let out a low breath. "I spent all of breakfast and part of this class trying to convince Professor Binns to change your grade."

" _What?"_

"It took a long time, mind you, so a thank you would be appreciated."

"But— How did you do it? I tried to convince him myself! It didn't work!"

"Well, the first ten minutes were fruitless. He actually fell asleep while I was talking to him." He raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Then, I told him I'd sit in and wouldn't leave until he listened to me, _that_ resulted in a detention—"

"You got a _detention_?" She felt a rush of affection for him.

"Yes, and then he finally listened while I tried to justify almost every line of this essay, which, by the way, is extremely dull." He laughed nervously. "Er— but where was I? He fell asleep again, of course. I had to wake him up and then he said he'd heard enough and the essay wasn't as awful as he thought and he changed the grade. So, that's that. Oh, and here's my essay, in case you wanted proof that I didn't write what you said you were going to write about." Scorpius pulled out his own essay as evidence but Rose batted it away and leaped into his arms.

He stiffened. "Er—?"

"Thank you. That's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me," she said, squeezing him tighter until he eventually wrapped his arms around her.

Scorpius coughed awkwardly, finally pulling away. "Yeah, don't start spreading around that I'm nice or anything."

"I'm so sorry I ever accused you of all of this. Merlin, I was a total—"

"Don't." He shook his head lightly.

Rose looked up at him, appreciation shining in her eyes. "How can I repay you?"

Scorpius looked at her solemnly. "Being my friend is more than enough."

* * *

Hello! Please let me know what you think of my characterizations and story so far!


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